1. Field of the Invention
The system of the present invention relates to storm protection systems for windows. More particularly, the present invention relates to a reinforced retractable shade mounted above openings such as windows in a building for extending down to cover the window and including reinforcement members for protecting the window against storm related damage.
2. General Background of the Invention
In areas of the country or world which are prone to storms, there is a need for protecting the openings of buildings such as windows and doors and other means of access. Often times such openings are covered with breakable glass, and during a storm when a loose object, such as a tree limb or the like, is blown into the glass covering the opening, there is a danger that people within the building will be injured or killed by the flying glass. For example, the states along the Gulf of Mexico, during certain times of the year, are prone to enormous and deadly storms known as hurricanes. Hurricanes often have winds which blow between an average of 100 to 125 miles per hour, and in doing so, are able to blow foreign objects such as street signs, tree limbs and other types of debris into the windows of buildings, more particularly to individual homes within cities and towns affected by the storm. At the present, there are some systems on the market which may allow windows, etc. to be covered by protective coverings known as "storm windows", which are normally metallic type shades that are rolled down in front of the windows to form a metallic barrier between the outside and the window. These systems, although effective, are quite expensive, and because of the amount of steel and other metal that is involved, require either electric or hydraulic means to move the storm window in place, also being architecturally and physically cumbersome.
Therefore, there is a need in the industry for a relatively simple storm system that could be installed by the owner of the home, yet could be highly effective in protecting the windows and doors of buildings from flying debris during hurricanes or the like storms, when not in use, can be retracted to a position above the window, or the entire system could be removed from the window and stored away while not in use, or build in as an integral element of said structure.